1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to children's education toys and more particularly, to an interactive phonic teaching device.
2. Background
Children learn letters, numbers and the names of various objects by audible repetition accompanied by visualization of the object. Often, a parent or teacher will read a book aloud while pointing to the object depicted by the word which is read. In this way, the child is able to visually associate the object with its name. This method of teaching is generally passive, i.e., there may be little interaction between the child and subject matter. Interactive teaching methods using multiple sensory perceptions are more effective than mere memorization, and kinesthetic engagement has been shown to enhance learning.
Voice synthesizers are used in a number of devices and children's toys. These devices are advantageous in that a child may use them interactively alone, without close supervision. Other devices use voice synthesis devices for various purposes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,357,489 to Henderson and 4,689,811 to Kroon each disclose an integrated circuit for synthesizing speech. U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,350 to Batra employs such an integrated circuit in a child's shoe to provide an audible message when opening or closing the shoe. Often, however, the devices of the kind mentioned above fail to provide meaningful learning when incorporating voice synthesis devices. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,533 to Michael C. Wood, there is a significant advance made in the art to overcome some of the deficiencies noted above.
This invention further builds and improves on the advances made in the Wood '533 patent. The device described herein provides many advantages over prior art devices in such a way as to invite interaction with children and facilitate the learning process for speaking, reading and memorization.